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What is a Greek American Gyro?
When it comes to iconic American street food that has captured the hearts and taste buds of many, it is a Greek American gyro. Greek American gyros are generally cooked on a vertical rotisserie with thinly sliced meat shaved off, added to a pita bread and topped off with some french fries and tzatziki sauce.
Opting for lamb or beef in a gyro may not align with the most authentic version. In Greece, the majority of gyros are traditionally crafted with pork or chicken, with lamb or beef being less commonly used. In the US, however, it is much more common to find either chicken or lamb meat as the option.
During my time in Greece, I remember going to grab a gyro, and I discovered that the only meat option available was pork. It turned out that pork is the most common meat used for gyros.
Greek American Gyro vs German Doner Kebab Food Feuds
Food Feuds is a series where we rate similar dishes from different countries to figure out who makes it better. Kickin’ it with Sal did a Food Feuds comparison on German Doner Kebabs vs Greek American Gyros. If you are trying to decide whether to make the Doner recipe or Gyro recipe, check out the Food Feuds review to narrow your options.
When I discovered German Doner Kebab, it struck a resemblance to Greek American Lamb Gyros. Turkish Germans settled in Germany seeking better opportunities, and in pursuit of this, they established local businesses to introduce and sell their traditional cuisine. Drawing inspiration from the local German ingredients and infused with the memories of street kebabs in Turkey, this magical sandwich came to life. The same can be said for Greek American Lamb Gyros. Gyros have a lot in common with Doner Kebabs and Shawarma. The markets for these population typically do not eat pork which is probably why chicken and lamb got so popular in the US.
The key differences between American and Greek gyros is that in Greece, the gyros are typically made with marinated pork or chicken meat that is stacked on a vertical rotisserie. Greek American gyros generally use minced beef and lamb that’s molded into a cone and cooked on a vertical rotisseries and is then thinly shaved off.
Recipe
This recipe is made with lamb and beef meat. Greek American gyros also bear a resemblance to German Doner Kebabs, with both featuring thinly sliced meat encased within a pocket of bread. Kickin’ it with Sal did a Food Feuds video comparing these two sandwiches to see who does it better.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb of ground beef
- 1/2 lb of ground lamb
- 2 cups of chopped lettuce
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 2 tomatoes thinly sliced
- 4 cups of Frozen French fries (however much you want on your plate)
- 1 tablespoons of rosmary
- 1 tablespoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of oregano
- 1 and 1/2 cup of grated yellow onion
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Canola oil for frying/baking
- 4 thick and fluffy pita bread
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup of plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of cucumbers, chopped or grated
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon of garlic, minced
- Chopped Dill (optional)
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- In a bowl, combine lamb, beef, rosemary, cumin, oregano, grated yellow onion, salt and pepper to taste and mix.
- Add meat to a loaf pan and bake for 20 mins or until meat is cooked inside
- In the meantime, make the Tzatziki sauce by combining (yogurt, cucumbers, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and dill).
- Fry up the french fries in canola oil
- Once the meat is fully cooked. Slice the meat into long strips. Fry it up in a skillet to add a nice crisp.
- Assemble the gyro by adding the meat to the pita bread, topping it with red onions, tomatoes and lettuce. Then adding the Tzatziki sauce and french fries on top.
- Fold your sandwich and enjoy!
Greek American Lamb Gyro
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Ground Beef
- 1/2 lb Ground Lamb
- 2 cups Chopped Lettuce
- 1 Red Onion Thinly sliced
- 2 Tomatoes Thinly sliced
- 4 cups Frozen French Fries You can make more if you want
- 1 tbsp Rosemary
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- 1 & 1/2 cup Grated Yellow Onion
- Canola Oil for Frying/Baking
- 4 Thick and fluffy Pita Bread
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 cup Cucumber Chopped or grated
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Chopped dill optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- In a bowl, combine lamb, beef, rosemary, cumin, oregano, grated yellow onion, salt and pepper to taste and mix.
- Add meat to a loaf pan and bake for 20 mins or until meat is cooked inside
- In the meantime, make the Tzatziki sauce by combining (yogurt, cucumbers, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and dill).
- Fry up the french fries in canola oil
- Once the meat is fully cooked. Slice the meat into long strips. Fry it up in a skillet to add a nice crisp.
- Assemble the gyro by adding the meat to the pita bread, topping it with red onions, tomatoes and lettuce. Then adding the Tzatziki sauce and french fries on top.
- Fold your sandwich and eat!!
